Welcome to the Watersheds Canada Resource Library!
Here you will find a comprehensive collection of free educational resources dedicated to helping rural shoreline property owners, families, municipalities, lake groups, and educators protect their lakes and restore natural habitat. Explore guides, best practices, case studies, lesson plans, and tools to become a freshwater protector. Funding support thanks to Peterborough K.M. Hunter Charitable Foundation, and S.M. Blair Family Foundation.
The Threat of Grass Carp to the Great Lakes handout
Grass Carp is an invasive species that threatens the Great Lakes. It can consume up to 40% of its body weight in aquatic vegetation daily. If established, it would have severe ecological and economic impacts. The Great Lakes are worth $13.8 billion annually and would experience significant economic losses if Grass Carp were to establish.
The Threat of Grass Carp to the Great Lakes webinar with Liana Hryniewicz
This is a handout from our webinar, "The Threat of Grass Carp to the Great Lakes". Grass Carp is an invasive species that poses a significant threat to the Great Lakes Basin. It can consume up to 40% of its body weight in aquatic vegetation daily. If established, it would have severe ecological and socio-economic impacts. The Great Lakes are worth $13.8 billion annually and would experience severe economic impacts if Grass Carp were to establish.
The Way Forward for People and Waterfowl
Shoreline vegetation supports so many species, from fish, to amphibians, to mammals, to insects, and yes - even waterfowl! Waterfowl and other bird species rely on these areas for the nesting, foraging, and sheltering opportunities they provide. Learn more about the benefits of shoreline vegetation and how we can work towards supporting waterfowl species in this blog post!
The importance of community
This blog post celebrated the launch of our Freshwater Stewardship Community in 2022. It discusses the many benefits provided by collaboration and community-building, and even provides some speaker highlights from the first year of this program.
The only way to protect the shoreline is to plant - Natural Edge testimonial
Mike and Margo are two volunteers from the Thousand Islands Area Residents Association (TIARA). In this video, they share why they helped with a recent Natural Edge restoration planting and why they think native plants are so important for protecting the health of shorelines and their local river.
This World Water Day, see the amazing fish habitat projects you have already helped complete!
This blog post centers around Long Sault Creek, a beautiful cold-water creek that was able to be restored thanks to the generosity and hard work of individual donors and community groups. It shows a before and after photo of the creek, and provides context about the value of cold-water creek restoration projects for building up native trout habitat.
Three Summers with Watersheds Canada
This personal reflection was written by a past intern that describes her experience supporting the pilot years of Love Your Lake, our shoreline assessment program. Step into the field with her to hear of her experience performing shoreline assessments and interacting with passionate lake stewards at events. Expand your horizons through hearing her views on building up freshwater stewardship around lake communities.
Time is Running Out: An Interview with Al Best
Al Best is the President of Carson, Trout, Lepine and Greenan Lakes Association, and has participated in Watersheds Canada’s Love Your Lake program and Natural Edge program. Al was a strong advocate on his lake association, which resulted in him getting our Love Your Lake on his lake to assess the shorelines and also in him restoring his shoreline through our The Natural Edge program. Read this blog post for a full interview with Al to hear his thoughts on our Love Your Lake program, the impacts of the program on his lake, how it has changed his views on lake health, and much more!
Top 5 Ways to Support Winter Wildlife blog
Winter in Canada can be difficult, especially for wildlife. Moreover, the increased development of natural areas has placed stress on species throughout the year but particularly in the wintertime. However, the silver lining is that there are things you can do to help support your shoreline wildlife this winter, though. Read this blog post to learn about some ways to do so, including supporting native plant growth, reducing your disturbance around shorelines, winterizing your chemicals, and more.